The Online Safety Act, effective from July 25, 2025, requires technology platforms to prevent children from accessing harmful digital content. Ofcom, the UK media regulator, reports that 59% of teenagers have encountered such content and emphasizes the need for enhanced measures by tech providers. The legislation imposes new responsibilities on digital platform operators to ensure user safety, including the removal of illegal content. Ofcom possesses extensive powers to enforce compliance, including issuing fines and enforcing business disruption measures for violations.
The Online Safety Act introduces a fundamental shift in how online services - both UK-based and international - must operate when accessible by UK users. Ofcom now holds wide-ranging investigatory and enforcement powers, making compliance not just a legal necessity, but an operational and ethical imperative.
The regulator, Ofcom, has the power to require the provision of certain information, to issue fines of up to the greater of 10% of global annual turnover or £18m and to impose various business disruption measures.
#online-safety-act #digital-content-regulation #childrens-online-protection #ofcom #technology-compliance
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